Internet video enables users to view video content virtually anywhere at any time, as long as they have access to a video capable device with an internet connection. The convenience of being able to view video content via the internet, essentially on demand, has resulted in explosive growth of internet video viewing. Internet video traffic is currently approaching over fifty percent of consumer internet traffic, and the rate of demand is projected to continue increasing.
The ever increasing volume of video content available online can make finding desirable content a challenge to users. However, the relationship between social networking and internet video has become nearly ubiquitous, and social networking allows internet videos to spread virally to large numbers of users in a relatively short period of time. Frequently, within a matter of hours after being published a video can propagate across the web. The virality of internet videos can be attributed to a number of factors beyond content, including inter-personal relationships, promotion, and various leaderboards and ranking systems. Users will often choose to view video content that has been viewed by another member of their social network, or that is popular among other users.
To promote content, video sites often rank content using leaderboards based on number of views, shares, comments, and so forth over a given time period, such as a day, a week, or a month. For users, leaderboards and ranking systems assist in discerning content that is popular or trending, and can serve as a filter for desirable content. In addition, the leaderboards and ranking systems enable the video sites to dynamically adjust to changing trends in viewership. Accordingly, leaderboards and ranking systems can be evidence of such increased traffic, as well as a catalyst for additional traffic, both for the content and the video site with the leaderboard/ranking system. Moreover, content owners have an incentive to produce quality content to increase traffic to their content.
Once a video has been uploaded and made available to the public, the content owner may have little control over any possible viral spreads. Moreover, if promotional and social networking efforts are not correctly timed with a launch of the video, then the content owner may miss out on opportunities to be included in various leaderboards and ranking systems, which could hinder overall number of views and general success of the content. In addition, releasing a video prior to finalization, review, or approval can result in unintended embarrassment or financial loss for a content owner.